Meta Data Framework (MDF) Package defines device types in a uniform way across CiscoWorks applications. MDF Package allows you to add new device types to the existing set of device types defined in CiscoWorks Common Services 3.0.

The MDF package 1.6 is a cumulative package that includes the new device types added after the release of CiscoWorks Common Services 3.0 as well as those defined in Common Services 3.0 and till MDF package Version 1.5. This package contains new device types, new device type definitions, new device icons, and solutions to some problems in earlier MDF packages.

The MDF package 1.6 contains the following new device types:

–Cisco CSS 11503 Content Services Switch(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.9.368.4.5)

–Cisco CSS 11506 Content Services Switch(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.9.368.4.6)

–Cisco 1803 Integrated Services Router(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.640)

–Cisco 7604 Router(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.658)

–Cisco 851 Integrated Services Router(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.566)

–Cisco 871 Integrated Services Router(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.571)

–Cisco 876 Integrated Services Router(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.568)

–Cisco 878 Integrated Services Router(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.570)

–Cisco ME 2400-24TS-A Switch(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.734)

–Cisco ME 3400-24TS-A Switch(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.736)

–Cisco IDS 4220 Sensor(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.741)

–Cisco IDS 4230 Sensor(1.3.6.1.4.1.9.1.742)

Note Addition of new device types through MDF Package does not guarantee support for these device types in all the CiscoWorks applications. Device support has to be provided by individual applications such as DFM, RME and Campus Manager. For a list of supported device types, see the relevant Product Documentation.

If you generate reports, the output will vary depending on whether the data has been processed through Perl or Java. Table 2 also provides possible output for either case scenario.

To ensure that time zones are translated correctly—especially when your devices, servers, and clients are in different time zones—follow these guidelines:

•When configuring time zones on managed devices, use the acronyms listed in the Time Zone Acronym Setting on Device column. To set time zones on devices, use the command described in the device-specific Command Reference documentation.

•The device should be configured to send syslogs with the appropriate timezone acronym that indicates whether daylight savings is in effect at the time of sending the syslog. This is to ensure that the syslog analyzer or Essentials uses the correct acronym for time conversion.

•When configuring time zones on CiscoWorks servers, use the supported values in the Time Zone Setting on Server column.

Note Changes made to the system time zone from outside CiscoWorks applications might not be reflected in already-running CiscoWorks applications. After changing the time zone, restart all CiscoWorks applications.

Table 2 Supported Server Time Zones

Time Zone Acronym Setting on Device

Definition

Area Covered (Country/City)

Offset from GMT

Time Zone Setting on Server

Output in Report

GMT

Acronym

ACT

Australia Central Time

Australia/ Darwin

+9:30

Adelaide

GMT +9:30

ACT

AEST

Australia Eastern Standard Time

Australia/ Sydney

+10:00

+11:00 (DST)

Brisbane

GMT +10:00

GMT +11:00 (DST)

AEST

AET

Australia Eastern Time

Australia/ Sydney

+10:00

Brisbane

GMT +10:00

GMT +11:00 (DST)

AET

AHST

Alaska-Hawaii Standard Time

Hawaii/ Honolulu

-10:00

Hawaii

GMT -10:00

HST

ART

Arabic Egypt Standard Time

Africa/Cairo

+2:00

+3:00 (DST)

Cairo

GMT +2:00

GMT +3:00 (DST)

ART

CCT

China Coast Time

Asia/Shanghai

+8:00

Beijing

GMT +8:00

CST

CDT

Central Daylight Time

United States/ Chicago

-5:00

Central Time

GMT -5:00

CDT (DST)

CST

CET

Central European Time

Spain/Madrid

+1:00

+2:00 (DST)

Madrid

GMT +1:00

GMT +2:00 (DST)

CEST

CST

Central Standard Time

United States/ Chicago

-6:00

Central Time

GMT -6:00

CST

CDT (DST)

CTT

China Taiwan Time

Asia/Shanghai

+8:00

Beijing

GMT +8:00

CST

EAST

East Australian Standard Time

Australia/ Queens Island

+10:00

Brisbane

GMT +10:00

EAST

ECT

European Central Time

Europe/Paris

+1:00

+2:00 (DST)

Paris

GMT +1:00

GMT +2:00 (DST)

CEST

EDT

Eastern Daylight Time

United States/New York

-4:00

Eastern Time

GMT -4:00

EST

EDT (DST)

EST

Eastern Standard Time

United States/New York

-5:00

Eastern Time

GMT -5:00

EST

EDT (DST)

FWT

French Winter Time

France/Paris

+1:00

+2:00 (DST)

Paris

GMT +1:00

GMT +2:00 (DST)

CEST

GMT

GMT Standard Time

Africa/ Casablanca

None

Greenwich Mean Time

GMT +0

GMT

HST

Hawaiian Standard Time

Pacific/ Honolulu

-10:00

Hawaii

GMT -10:00

HST

JST

Japan Standard Time

Asia/Tokyo

+9:00

Tokyo

GMT +9:00

JST

MDT

Mountain Daylight Time

United States/ Denver

-6:00

Mountain Time

GMT -6:00

MDT (DST)

MST

MET

Middle European Time

Spain/Madrid

+1:00

+2:00 (DST)

Madrid

GMT +1:00

GMT +2:00 (DST)

CEST

MEWT

Middle European Winter Time

Spain/Madrid

+1:00

Madrid

GMT +1:00

GMT +2:00 (DST)

CEST

MST

Mountain Standard Time

United States/ Denver

-7:00

Mountain Time

GMT -7:00

MST

MDT (DST)

PDT

Pacific Daylight Time

United States/Los Angeles

-7:00

Pacific Time

GMT -7:00

PDT (DST)

PST

PST

Pacific Standard Time

United States/Los Angeles

-8:00

Pacific Time

GMT -8:00

PST

PDT (DST)

UTC

GMT Standard Time

Great Britain/ London

None

Greenwich Mean Time

GMT +0

GMT

ZP4

Zone 3

Russia/Moscow

+4:00

Not Supported

GMT +4:00

ZP4

Multi-homed Machines

A multi-homed machine is a machine that has multiple NIC cards, each configured with different IP addresses. To run CiscoWorks Common Services on a multi-homed machine, there are two requirements.

•All IP addresses must be configured in DNS.

•Owing to restrictions in CORBA, only one IP address can be used by the client/browser to access the server. You must select one IP address as the external address, with which the client will login to the CiscoWorks server.

To select an IP address:

Step 1 Modify the gatekeeper file located in /opt/CSCOpx/lib/vbroker/gatekeeper.cfg.

Step 2 Replace every instance of external-IP-address with the external IP address you choose, and remove the "#" character, from the following:

•#vbroker.gatekeeper.backcompat.callback.host=external-IP-address

•#vbroker.se.exterior.host=external-IP-address

•#vbroker.se.iiop_tp.host=external-IP-address

•#vbroker.se.interior.host=external-IP-address

Step 3 After modifying the gatekeeper file, restart the Daemon Manager by entering

•2 GB on the partition on which you install the product (The default is /opt).

•Minimum 1024 MB Swap space.

System software

Solaris 8 and Solaris 9.

Common Services 3.0.3 supports only US-English and Japanese versions of Solaris Operating Systems. It does not support any other language version. Installation might proceed normally in other locales but there might be problems in the functionality of CiscoWorks.

We recommend that you install the Solaris Operating System in any of the following modes:

This utility allows you to launch CiscoView from an SNMP platform even when CiscoView is running on a different machine than the NMS. It also allows you to integrate other applications into NMS menus.

When CiscoView is installed on the same machine as the target NMS, the Integration Utility runs as part of a single CiscoView install.

However, when the target NMS is installed on a different machine, the utility walks you through the steps required to integrate Cisco device information and applications into an SNMP management platform.

You might need to run the Integration Utility to:

•Change your Cisco.com login information.

•Change your CiscoWorks server location.

•Register a new application.

•Change the NMS with which you wish to integrate your Cisco applications.

For more information on Integration Utility, see User Guide for CiscoWorks Integration Utility 1.6.

Using CiscoView in ACS Mode

Before performing any tasks that are described in this section, you must successfully complete configuring Cisco Secure ACS with the CiscoWorks server. The CiscoView application is registered to Cisco Secure ACS.

CiscoWorks login modules allow you to add new users by using a source of authentication other than the native CiscoWorks server mechanism (that is, the CiscoWorks Local login module). You can use the Cisco Secure ACS services for this purpose.

The following topics provide information on how to use CiscoView in the ACS mode:

CiscoWorks Roles and Privileges

By default, the CiscoWorks server authentication scheme has five roles in ACS mode. They are listed here from least privileged to most privileged:

Help Desk

A user with this role has the privilege to access network status information from the persisted data. The user does not have the privilege to contact any device or schedule a job that will reach the network.

Approver

A user with this role has the privilege to approve all CiscoView tasks.

Network Operator

A user with this role has the privilege to perform all tasks that involve collecting data from the network. The user does not have write access on the network. The user can also perform all the Help Desk tasks.

Network Administrator

A user with this role has the privilege to change the network. The user can also perform the Network Operator tasks.

System Administrator

A user with this role has the privilege to perform all CiscoWorks system administration tasks. See the Permissions Report on the CiscoWorks server (Common Services > Server > Reports > Permission Report).

Cisco Secure ACS allows you to modify the privileges to these roles. You can also create custom roles and privileges that help you customize Common Services client applications to best suit your business workflow and needs.

Modifying the CiscoWorks Roles and Privileges

If another instance of CiscoView is registered with the same Cisco Secure ACS, your instance of CiscoView will inherit those role settings. Furthermore, any changes you make to CiscoView roles will be propagated to other instances of CiscoView through Cisco Secure ACS.

If you reinstall CiscoView, your Cisco Secure ACS settings will automatically be applied upon CiscoView restart.

Device-Based Filtering

Most of the CiscoView tasks are device-centric. The devices listed for you while performing the CiscoView tasks, are based on your role and the associated privileges that are defined in Cisco Secure ACS.

Documentation Errata for CiscoView

When you go through the CiscoView 6.1.2 User Guide, note that the URLs provided on pages ix through xi of the Preface are incorrect and should read as follows:

Close button not visible in Scheduled Device Download (immediate) Result pop-up window.

This occurs if you have minimized the pop-up progress bar.

In normal flow, the close button is visible.

Workaround:

None.

Integration Utility Known Problems

The file NMIDBOptions.properties contains Cisco.com passwords, in an encoded form, and is accessible only to root users. Root access to the host needs to be restricted if Cisco.com password security is a concern.

Table 9 Integration Utility Known Problems

Bug ID

Summary

Explanation

CSCef04708

In NIS+ server, CiscoWorks Integration Utility installation fails if casuser(s) do not exist.

Integration Utility fails and displays the following errors:

> ERROR: The /etc/group is not used by the
system.

> ERROR: Add casusers entry in /etc/group
won't take effect.

> ERROR: Either add files entry in
/etc/nsswitch.conf,

> ERROR: or add casusers entry in NIS/NIS+
database.

> ERROR: Contact your system administrator
for detail.

Workaround:

Create user casuser and group casusers, and add casuser in the group.

CSCin23798

Cannot upgrade to latest NMIDB by clicking Get NMIDB in Integration Utility GUI, in rare scenarios.

This problem occurs if the Integration Utility process was terminated or the local machine was rebooted during the previous NMIDB extraction.

If you click Get NMIDB in the Integration Utility GUI, this message appears erroneously:

While doing application registration in ACS mode, make sure that the logged in user has default role (non-customized role) in ACS (i.e. Group Setup > CiscoWorks in ACS server).

CSCsc71565

In CS 3.0, while registering a Test Application with CMIC, the wrong port number is used.

When you upgrade to CS 3.0.3, the Test Application will not appear under the registered applications in CMIC.

In this scenario, all the xml files under registered-templates have the right port number and protocol, except for the Test Application which has the wrong port number.

Even in the case of changing port number or protocol, once the port or protocol is changed, the files under the registered-templates are updated accordingly except for the application with the wrong port number.

Workaround:

None.

CSCsc71403

Changes to some Context Sensitive Online Help (OLH) files do not reflect in the CiscoWorks LMS 2.5 December 2005 Update.

Changes do not reflect in the following files, when you launch the OLH for CiscoWorks Common Services 3.0.3 in the CiscoWorks LMS 2.5 December 2005 Update:

•What's New in This Release (Launch Context Sensitive Online Help from CiscoWorks Homepage and go to the Common Services Online Help. Select What's new in this release from the Table Of Contents).

CMF database fails to run and throws the following Sybase Assertion error message:

*** ERROR *** Assertion
failed: 100909 (9.0.0.1383).

100909 is the Assertion ID.

Following are the scenarios where Assertion Error might appear:

1. If you use any third-party backup software to back up a live, running database, the Assertion Error might be thrown. This is because some of the database pages that have been modified will be in the database server cache, so the database file will be in an inconsistent state.

2. If you use any anti-virus software. The reason is, Adaptive Server Anywhere performs many reads and writes other than the normal I/O operations, which contribute to the good performance of Adaptive Server Anywhere. However, anti-virus software might detect this as a potential problem and quarantine the file. This becomes hazardous if the .log or temporary files are quarantined, and it may cause corruption by interfering with the normal functions of the database. Poor performance can also occur if the anti-virus software is checking all I/O operations performed by the database server.

Workaround:

We recommend that you do not use third-party backup software for backing up a running database.

We also recommend that you configure your anti-virus software so that it must not scan the NMSROOT/databases directory.

Operating System vendors, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have released patches for changes in Australian daylight savings from March 27, 2006 to April 2, 2006 due to the Common Wealth Games.

It has been found that the java API used to get system time returns one hour less than the actual server time during the affected period. As a result, the scheduled backup and/or compaction of database are executed with a delay of one hour. Also, the logs and/or reports show incorrect time stamp.

The following time zones are affected:

•Adelaide (GMT +9.30)

•Hobart (GMT+ 10.00)

•Sydney (GMT + 10.30)

Workaround:

Reschedule the jobs by one hour ahead of the actual desirable time from March 27, 2006 to April 02, 2006.

CSCsd40375

Australian day light settings affect the API to return time.

Operating System vendors, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have released patches for changes in Australian daylight savings from March 27, 2006 to April 2, 2006 due to the Common Wealth Games.

It has been found that the java API used to get system time returns one hour less than the actual server time during the affected period. As a result, the scheduled jobs are executed with a delay of one hour. Also, the logs and/or reports show incorrect time stamp.

The following jobs are affected:

•PSU Device Downloads.

•DCR Import/Export.

•Sample job through jobcli.

The following time zones are affected:

•Adelaide (GMT + 9.30)

•Hobart (GMT+ 10.00)

•Sydney (GMT + 10.30)

Workaround:

Reschedule the jobs by one hour ahead of the actual desirable time from March 27, 2006 to April 02, 2006.

CiscoView Known Problems

Note To view the known problems for a specific device package release, refer to the Readme file provided with that release.

Table 14 Known Problems in CiscoView 6.1.2

Bug ID

Summary

Explanation

None.

CiscoView does not support SNMPv3 credentials.

Since Cisco Transport Manager (CTM) does not implement a call back function for SNMPv3 credentials, this release of CiscoView cannot provide SNMPv3 support.

CSCea61377

Scrollbar is not displayed after monitoring dialog box is opened in Internet Explorer.

This problem occurs when you:

1. Right-click the chassis view with a device open in CiscoView

2. Select Monitor to open a monitoring dialog box.

No scrollbar appears even if the resulting dialog box is not wide enough to fully display its contents.

Workaround:

Either reduce the size of the dialog box or hide the Windows taskbar.

This problem does not occur in Netscape Navigator or Mozilla.

CSCea89084

Graphs in monitoring dialog box do not work as expected.

This problem occurs on AP1200 devices.

There are problems with the graphs for the following objects in the UDP monitoring dialog box (Monitor > Device > UDP):

Even though you can install the device package, Mini-RMON functionality will be available only if you first install the engine patch.

Workaround:

None.

CSCsb07793

Sometimes Device Selector does not work as expected.

This problem occurs when you:

1. Launch multiple CiscoView Mini-RMON Manager sessions.

2. Expand a folder in the Device Selector of an open session by clicking the plus sign beside it.

Sometimes, instead of the folder expanding, the Device Selector tree collapses and displays only the main folder.

After you expand the main folder, the expandable folders beneath it display a minus sign instead of a plus sign.

Workaround:

Click the minus sign for an expandable folder.

A plus sign appears and the Object Selector works.

CSCsb07787

Cannot create history entry on Catalyst 5509 device.

When attempting to create a history entry from the Statistics page (Setup > Statistics History) on a Catalyst 5509 device, an error message is displayed and the entry is not created.

Workaround:

None.

CSCsa76938

Devices of unknown type are not handled as expected by Object Selector and CiscoView Mini-RMON Manager.

This problem occurs when you:

1. Add a device that is supported by CiscoView Mini-RMON Manager in the DCR, but set the device type as unknown.

2. Launch CiscoView Mini-RMON Manager.

The following happens:

•Object Selector does not display the device under the unknown device type group.

•When you enter the IP address for that device in CiscoView Mini-RMON Manager's Device Selector, the application retrieves its credentials from the DCR and launches the System Configuration page (Setup > System).

Workaround:

Make sure you set the proper device type for any device you add in the DCR.

CSCsb00192

Browser's status bar does not indicate that the creation of a new alarm is complete.

This problem occurs when you:

1. Click the Setup tab.

2. From the Options bar, click Alarms.

3. From the Setup Alarm Thresholds page, click Create.

4. Enter the necessary information and click OK.

A new alarm is created, but the status bar indicates that the process is still running.

Workaround:

Launch another page or click an action button.

CSCsb07657

Cannot create alarms on some devices.

An error message appears when you attempt to create an alarm on Catalyst 1900 and 2820 devices.

Workaround:

None.

See CSCin93036, the corresponding SNMP agent problem, for more information.

CSCsb05750

Cannot enable statistics collection on some devices.

An error message appears when you attempt to enable statistics collection on the following devices:

•Catalyst 2970-24TS

•Catalyst 3550-24MMF

•Catalyst 3750

•Catalyst 4948

Workaround:

Enable statistics collection using the CLI (this does not apply to Catalyst 4948 devices).

For more information, see the corresponding SNMP agent problems: CSCin93032, CSCin93030, CSCin93028, CSCsb05787, and CSCef19988.

CSCsb07791

Cannot modify history entry on Catalyst 2916MXL device.

When attempting to modify a history entry from the Statistics page (Setup > Statistics History) on a Catalyst 2916MXL device, an error message appears and the entry is not modified.

Workaround:

None.

See CSCin93091, the corresponding SNMP agent problem, for more information.

CSCsa70049

Devices are sometimes listed twice in the Object Selector.

This problem occurs inconsistently and does not affect functionality.

Workaround:

None.

CSCsc00802

Statistics collection and History features are not supported by some devices.

The following devices do not support the Statistics collection and History features in CiscoView Mini-RMON Manager 2.0:

Support for CNS Configuration Engine and CNS Devices was not provided.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa52333

Needed to prompt for HTTP credentials in Device and Credential Repository (DCR) GUI.

This problem has been resolved.

Software Center Related Resolved Problems

CSCsa52966

Needed to prompt for Cisco.com and Proxy credentials when performing software downloads.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa55959

MDF-PSU Adapter code did not remove MDF cache.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa70185

Software Center detected only Readme files that had .README extension.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCeh38707

During validation of the Cisco.com credentials, an attempt was made to connect to www.cisco.com/en/US/partner site.

This problem has been resolved.

Event Services Related Resolved Problems

CSCeg62066

Tibco did not support publishing or subscribing to MapMessages.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa42779

Minor issues while receiving jms messages.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa59368

CS needed to enable LWMS gateway on Tomcat startup.

This problem has been resolved.

JRM Related Resolved Problems

CSCsa37866

JobType needed display value.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa49724

Could not connect to JRM; tasks such as List Jobs hung.

This problem has been resolved.

Install Related Resolved Problems

CSCsa63439

CS Service Packs did not support uninstallation.

This problem has been resolved.

Backup and Restore Related Resolved Problems

CSCsa12929

PERL applications in CiscoWorks that required fork() emulation or large file support did not work.

This problem has been resolved.

Security Related Resolved Problems

CSCsa50470

Authorization error in DBreader when logged into any Common Services server with Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).

This problem has been resolved.

General Resolved Problems

CSCef95618

Common Services should have compiled and shipped with JDOM 1.0 instead of beta8.

This problem has been resolved.

CSCsa52301

Discovery went into an infinite loop when Multiplexing and Multiple community were enabled.

This problem has been resolved.

Obtaining Documentation

Cisco documentation and additional literature are available on Cisco.com. Cisco also provides several ways to obtain technical assistance and other technical resources. These sections explain how to obtain technical information from Cisco Systems.

Product Documentation DVD

Cisco documentation and additional literature are available in the Product Documentation DVD package, which may have shipped with your product. The Product Documentation DVD is updated regularly and may be more current than printed documentation.

The Product Documentation DVD is a comprehensive library of technical product documentation on portable media. The DVD enables you to access multiple versions of hardware and software installation, configuration, and command guides for Cisco products and to view technical documentation in HTML. With the DVD, you have access to the same documentation that is found on the Cisco website without being connected to the Internet. Certain products also have .pdf versions of the documentation available.

The Product Documentation DVD is available as a single unit or as a subscription. Registered Cisco.com users (Cisco direct customers) can order a Product Documentation DVD (product number DOC-DOCDVD=) from Cisco Marketplace at this URL:

Ordering Documentation

Nonregistered Cisco.com users can order technical documentation from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (0800 to 1700) PDT by calling 1 866 463-3487 in the United States and Canada, or elsewhere by calling 011 408 519-5055. You can also order documentation by e-mail at tech-doc-store-mkpl@external.cisco.com or by fax at 1 408 519-5001 in the United States and Canada, or elsewhere at 011 408 519-5001.

Documentation Feedback

You can rate and provide feedback about Cisco technical documents by completing the online feedback form that appears with the technical documents on Cisco.com.

You can send comments about Cisco documentation to bug-doc@cisco.com.

You can submit comments by using the response card (if present) behind the front cover of your document or by writing to the following address:

Reporting Security Problems in Cisco Products

Cisco is committed to delivering secure products. We test our products internally before we release them, and we strive to correct all vulnerabilities quickly. If you think that you might have identified a vulnerability in a Cisco product, contact PSIRT:

An emergency is either a condition in which a system is under active attack or a condition for which a severe and urgent security vulnerability should be reported. All other conditions are considered non emergencies.

Tip We encourage you to use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) or a compatible product to encrypt any sensitive information that you send to Cisco. PSIRT can work from encrypted information that is compatible with PGP versions 2.x through 8.x.

Never use a revoked or an expired encryption key. The correct public key to use in your correspondence with PSIRT is the one linked in the Contact Summary section of the Security Vulnerability Policy page at this URL:

Obtaining Technical Assistance

Cisco Technical Support provides 24-hour-a-day award-winning technical assistance. The Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website on Cisco.com features extensive online support resources. In addition, if you have a valid Cisco service contract, Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineers provide telephone support. If you do not have a valid Cisco service contract, contact your reseller.

Cisco Technical Support & Documentation Website

The Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website provides online documents and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. The website is available 24 hours a day, at this URL:

Access to all tools on the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. If you have a valid service contract but do not have a user ID or password, you can register at this URL:

Note Use the Cisco Product Identification (CPI) tool to locate your product serial number before submitting a web or phone request for service. You can access the CPI tool from the Cisco Technical Support & Documentation website by clicking the Tools & Resources link under Documentation & Tools.Choose Cisco Product Identification Tool from the Alphabetical Index drop-down list, or click the Cisco Product Identification Tool link under Alerts & RMAs. The CPI tool offers three search options: by product ID or model name; by tree view; or for certain products, by copying and pasting show command output. Search results show an illustration of your product with the serial number label location highlighted. Locate the serial number label on your product and record the information before placing a service call.

Submitting a Service Request

Using the online TAC Service Request Tool is the fastest way to open S3 and S4 service requests. (S3 and S4 service requests are those in which your network is minimally impaired or for which you require product information.) After you describe your situation, the TAC Service Request Tool provides recommended solutions. If your issue is not resolved using the recommended resources, your service request is assigned to a Cisco engineer. The TAC Service Request Tool is located at this URL:

For S1 or S2 service requests or if you do not have Internet access, contact the Cisco TAC by telephone. (S1 or S2 service requests are those in which your production network is down or severely degraded.) Cisco engineers are assigned immediately to S1 and S2 service requests to help keep your business operations running smoothly.

To open a service request by telephone, use one of the following numbers:

Definitions of Service Request Severity

To ensure that all service requests are reported in a standard format, Cisco has established severity definitions.

Severity 1 (S1)—Your network is "down," or there is a critical impact to your business operations. You and Cisco will commit all necessary resources around the clock to resolve the situation.

Severity 2 (S2)—Operation of an existing network is severely degraded, or significant aspects of your business operation are negatively affected by inadequate performance of Cisco products. You and Cisco will commit full-time resources during normal business hours to resolve the situation.

Severity 3 (S3)—Operational performance of your network is impaired, but most business operations remain functional. You and Cisco will commit resources during normal business hours to restore service to satisfactory levels.

Severity 4 (S4)—You require information or assistance with Cisco product capabilities, installation, or configuration. There is little or no effect on your business operations.

Obtaining Additional Publications and Information

Information about Cisco products, technologies, and network solutions is available from various online and printed sources.

•Cisco Marketplace provides a variety of Cisco books, reference guides, documentation, and logo merchandise. Visit Cisco Marketplace, the company store, at this URL:

•Cisco Press publishes a wide range of general networking, training and certification titles. Both new and experienced users will benefit from these publications. For current Cisco Press titles and other information, go to Cisco Press at this URL:

•Packet magazine is the Cisco Systems technical user magazine for maximizing Internet and networking investments. Each quarter, Packet delivers coverage of the latest industry trends, technology breakthroughs, and Cisco products and solutions, as well as network deployment and troubleshooting tips, configuration examples, customer case studies, certification and training information, and links to scores of in-depth online resources. You can access Packet magazine at this URL:

•iQ Magazine is the quarterly publication from Cisco Systems designed to help growing companies learn how they can use technology to increase revenue, streamline their business, and expand services. The publication identifies the challenges facing these companies and the technologies to help solve them, using real-world case studies and business strategies to help readers make sound technology investment decisions. You can access iQ Magazine at this URL:

•Internet Protocol Journal is a quarterly journal published by Cisco Systems for engineering professionals involved in designing, developing, and operating public and private internets and intranets. You can access the Internet Protocol Journal at this URL:

•Networking Professionals Connection is an interactive website for networking professionals to share questions, suggestions, and information about networking products and technologies with Cisco experts and other networking professionals. Join a discussion at this URL: